Distillate Capital Partners LLC Takes $20.82 Million Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Distillate Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 103,284 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $20,816,000. Marsh & McLennan Companies comprises about 1.1% of Distillate Capital Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest position.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MRSH. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,158,562 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,092,108,000 after acquiring an additional 837,117 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 18,590,697 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,745,889,000 after purchasing an additional 221,033 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.5% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 17,702,898 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,567,410,000 after purchasing an additional 92,767 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.1% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 15,091,478 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,041,386,000 after purchasing an additional 1,260,434 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 9,861,067 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,987,301,000 after purchasing an additional 68,826 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total value of $3,052,861.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.8%

NYSE:MRSH opened at $172.18 on Monday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $170.37 and a 12 month high of $248.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The company has a market capitalization of $83.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.74.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.97 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $6.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.52 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.60% and a net margin of 15.42%.Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.87 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Raymond James Financial raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $205.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Mizuho restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $199.00 price objective (down from $213.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Evercore lowered their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $236.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $216.12.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE: MMC) is a global professional services firm headquartered in New York City that provides advice and solutions in the areas of risk, strategy and people. Founded in 1905, the company has grown into a diversified group of businesses focused on insurance brokerage and risk management, reinsurance, human capital and investment consulting, and management consulting. Its long history and scale position it as a prominent adviser to corporations, governments and other institutions seeking to manage risk and optimize human and financial capital.

The firm operates through several well-known subsidiaries and business units that specialize in distinct services.